Looking Back Through the pages of the Wapakoneta Daily News
100 YEARS AGO, NOVEMBER 26, 1921
OPENING November 28—General blacksmithing and horseshoeing shop, one door north of L.H. Meckstroh’s Garage. All Work Guaranteed. H.W. Schuster, New Knoxville, Ohio
FREE! FREE! $100.00 will be given away at Leithauser’s New Drug Store as follows: First--$50;
2nd--$25; 3rd--$15; 4th--$10. Do your trading here. The more you buy the more tickets you get. Tickets on cash sales only. For full instructions, watch our window. OUR MOTTO: Live and Let Live.” Leithauser’s New Drug Store, 125 W. Auglaize Street.
The Ohio Spoke and Bending Company plant is one of the very few local industrial plants that is working a full ten hour, six days in the work shift. The company has a large number of orders and
every effort is being made by the management to keep the plant in continuous operation and afford
employment for the large number of men employed there.
His body wracked with intense pain and suffering, Joseph Platvoet, the veteran drayman and
mail messenger, passed away at his home, 104 Harrison Street, on November 24 at 11 o’clock. Though
suffering with bodily discomfort for two years, Mr. Platvoet’s ailments never forced him to his bed…. until this past Monday. One of the chief attributes
of Mr. Platvoet’s life may be summed up in one word—promptness. He was widely known for his
diligence and painstaking devotion to his work. He was the local mail messenger for 10 years and delivered mail to15 trains a day. This work demanded his
services at many different times throughout the day and night. Throughout his many years of service Mr. Platvoet never missed a train or paid a (late) penalty
a single time, Mr. Platvoet was a Wapakoneta resident for 36 years. His first work in this city was as a drayman, then in connection with this work he was
employed with the Standard Oil Co. He was the first local man to handle oils. When Mr. Platvoet did this work it was handled in barrels. He afterward operated the City Transfer line. He was a man who could
be depended upon and many times his promptness has been the subject of comment and admiration on the part of local people.
75 YEARS AGO, NOVEMBER 26, 1946
Quality Ice Cream in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, butter scotch, walnut, maple nut, banana. Pints, Quarts, Gallons. Parlette’s Dairy Store, 705
Defiance St.
MM Neil Shaw, 715 W. Pearl Street, received a telephone call Thanksgiving night from their son Charles Shaw, a civilian employee in the drafting department of General Headquarters, Tokyo. Mr.
Shaw has been an employee there since October, and prior to that had served with the army in Tokyo.
50 YEARS AGO, NOVEMBER 26, 1971
HOUSE OF MUSIC, home of Dick’s Piano Service, now open for business. Come see our pianos, guitars, banjos, drums, and sheet music. We also
have music accessories in stock. Dick Kiser, owner. 109 E. Auglaize.
The Thomas Baeumel Home, corner of Stinebaugh and Blackhoof streets, is included in the Christmas Tour of Homes, which is sponsored by the Junior Service Leage. The tour will be December
5 from1 until 5 pm. Upon entering the foyer, one’s attention is captured by the sunken living room on the right. Wrought iron is used decoratively in both the living and dining rooms. Mr. Baeumel’s interest in hunting is evident by the gun collection displayed
by the fireplace. Since Germany is the “homeland” of Mrs. Baeumel’s parents, she has returned from visits with relatives with many beautiful Hummel
figurines and steins. This home was decorated by Haehn’s Oakhurst.
A touch of Thanksgiving Day past was visually presented to Mrs. Kantner’s morning kindergarten class at Centennial on Wednesday. To get
in the mood, Mrs. Kantner and her students wore Pilgrim hats and attire similar to those of the originals. The treat of the morning was a homemade butter demonstration by Mrs. Kantner’s mother and grandmother, Mrs. Ralph Walters and Mrs. Dorwin Brookhart, who, before the children’s eyes, churned
out four pounds of butter. To most, this was the first time they had seen butter being made. Mrs. Walters and Mrs. Brookhart then told about Thanksgivings of yore and other anecdotes of the past. Model churns were also on display.
25 YEARS AGO, NOVEMBER 26, 1996
The Wapakoneta Middle School winners of the Great American Smoke-out poster contest were: Jessica Rodabaugh, first place; Amanda Breitigam,
second place; Terri Randall, third place. The American Cancer Society provided t-shirts for the winners.
Dale Kile, MD, 71, Phoenix, Arizona, died November 19 in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Kile had a private practice in S. Marys from 1953 to 1975. Dr. Kile was
a former Auglaize County Coroner and member of the Auglaize County Medical Auxiliary. He served
as president of the county chapter of the American Heart Association for many years.